Update

So much going on!

Silas has graduated from drug court. Everyone is happy about that. He has more freedom, and is clean and sober. The drug court program was successful, the people were effective teachers, mentors,and  butt-kickers, and my son is a very different person from the one who was arrested over a year ago.

My vegetable garden is coming along swimmingly. Since we are having so much rain this season, this is a fitting description. I am eating lettuce, kale, spinach, freshly pulled garlic, and various herbs regularly. The backyard is being transformed, but oh, so slowly. I am building the planter out and up and I have baby grape and kiwi plants growing. The combined medicinal herb garden and flower beds are being created slowly but surely. I have a very short retaining wall going up, and am sheet mulching to build up the soil. This is a rather slow process, since I am using our very own compost and other on sight mulching matter. Go ahead, use your imagination!

My Master Gardening (MG) education is moving right along. Classes are completed, and I continue with my many volunteer hours. I have worked at the Silverdale Farmers Market, answered questions at the WSU Extension Office, worked at the MG plant sale, and plan to start work at my local demonstration garden (Anna Smith) this week. I have met some wonderful people through this, and look forward to every opportunity to work at the various locations.

Allan and I get to be a Pa and Ma next month at our stake's Pioneer Trek. For those who don't know, this is a very short re-enactment of a handcart migration. For training purposes we had a mini-trek with all the other mas and pas this past weekend. We dressed in pioneer clothing (and lots of it!), joined our assigned "family" members, packed our supplies on a 3'x5' handcart, and hiked. We were supposed to hike in the mountains, but the weather was snowy there and we lucked out and got to do it on a farm on Bainbridge Island. It poured much of our time. My feet have never had to perform their function so wet and muddy. We slept out under tarps, which was a first for me. I was wet all over and all of my things got wet in the handcart--this was not good. But it was only for one night, we slept (and I use that term very loosely) in a comfortable pasture, and now I have personal handcart stories to tell my "children" on our trek in the summer. Which will take place in a hot, dusty location.

My ESL volunteering continues on. My student, Pok, isn't as motivated as some, and she doesn't get to practice her English much. I am trying to shake up our lessons a bit and brought her here to my home last week so she could know where and how I live. She came alive, asking questions and looking around; it was funny. She is working on sight reading, and is nearly done memorizing the most commonly used 500 words in our language.

The work I do in the nursery is still fun. Last week 2-year-old S. looked up at 2 of us adults who were chatting. She softly asked a question, but was so quiet I had to have her repeat herself twice. I finally heard her ask if Sister Muffins would help her, and I cracked up. Sister Uffens went and worked with her at the little doll house. Our nursery is losing one little girl, a real character, because her family is moving. We had a new little boy this past Sunday, which is great, since we have only had one boy all year so far. Hurray for new people moving in!

Life is good. Great things are happening. Our wants and needs are being met, and the Lord has been very good to us. Changes are coming, but that is not unusual. What is happening with you?

Census Update

Okay. This has happened twice. We have gone out for Chinese food, and got to the fortune cookie stage. Here was mine, this last time: "Real fortune is being heard. U.S. Census."

Then my real fortune was on the other side. (It's irrelevant.)

Okay, I am all for the census and everything, and have enjoyed searching through census records from the past. I have found wonderful and interesting things about people, even my own people all over the country. In fact, when it comes to the 1930 Census, I have a cool story.

My great grandparents lived in New York City at the time. I searched the records and found my great grandmother and her children who were at home, but no great grandfather. That was weird to me. Then later I found the whole family, including both Frederick and Agnes, the parents, and their youngest children living in Los Angeles. The father had gone ahead, and the mother and children joined him later (they had sailed through the Panama Canal, and on the boat my grandma Jessie and her sister had entertained passengers with their soft-shoe). I talked to Allan about this, and his reaction was, "They skewed the data!"

But, I digress. I find the marketing for this year's census strange. Chinese fortune cookies with an ad for the census is over the top for me, especially since I have already filled my form out and mailed it away. What do you think??